Morinaga & Company
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Native name | 森永製菓株式会社 |
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Company type | Public (K.K) |
TYO: 2201 | |
ISIN | JP3926400007 |
Industry | Food |
Founded | August 15, 1899 | as Morinaga’s Western Confectionary Shop
Founder | Taichiro Morinaga |
Headquarters | Shiba, Minato, Tokyo, 108-8403 , Japan |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Eijiro Ota[1] (President) |
Products | |
Revenue | ![]() |
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Number of employees | 3,170 (consolidated, as of March 31, 2018) |
Subsidiaries | Morinaga Milk Industry (10.34%) |
Website | Official website |
Footnotes / references [2][3][4] |
Morinaga & Company, Ltd. (森永製菓株式会社, Morinaga Seika Kabushiki-gaisha) is a global confectionery company in Tokyo, Japan, in operation since 1899.[5] Their products include candy and other confectioneries.[4]
Morinaga is loosely affiliated with Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., a public company in which Morinaga & Company holds 10.34% of the stock.
Brands
[edit]Major Morinaga brands include:[6][7]
- Hi-Chew
- In Jelly / Chargel
- Choco Monaka Jumbo
- Ice Box
- DARS
- Morinaga Biscuits
- Morinaga Milk Cocoa
- Morinaga Amazake
- Morinaga Chocoball
- Packncho (license manufacturer)
- Werther's Original (Japan distributor)
- Pez (Japan distributor)
History
[edit]The company was founded in 1899 by Taichiro Morinaga, who opened a Western confectionery shop in Tokyo after returning from the United States. It was incorporated as Morinaga & Co., Ltd. in 1912.[8]
In 1944, during World War II, Morinaga created Japan's first domestically produced penicillin.[9]
In 1960, the company advertised that women should give chocolates to men on Valentine's Day. This action strongly influenced the present culture of Valentine's Day in Japan.[9] Moreover, in 2009, the company made chocolates for men to give women, which are called Gyaku-choco. (Gyaku means reverse in Japanese.)
Morinaga began selling its popular Hi-Chew candy in the US market in 2008. The candy quickly became popular among baseball players, a fad started by Japanese baseball player Junichi Tazawa of the Boston Red Sox. Morinaga signed a sponsorship deal with the Red Sox in 2012 and Hi-Chew's popularity spread quickly in the 2010s. Morinaga began reverse imports of American Hi-Chew flavors to Japan in 2023.[10][11]
Morinaga has had Ayumi Hamasaki and Mao Asada appear in their commercials, and in the past has used stars such as the Carpenters to advertise their products.
Locations
[edit]Morinaga is headquartered in the Shiba district of Minato, Tokyo, adjacent to Tamachi Station, and has production facilities in Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Oyama, Tochigi, Mishima, Shizuoka, and Anjo, Aichi.[12]
Morinaga began manufacturing Hi-Chew candy in Mebane, North Carolina in 2016.[11]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Message from the President". Retrieved January 8, 2024.
- ^ "Corporate Profile". Morinaga & Company. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
- ^ "Company Profile". Nikkei Asian Review. Nikkei Inc. Archived from the original on October 5, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- ^ a b "About the company". Financial Times. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- ^ Picken, Stuart D.B. (December 19, 2016). Historical Dictionary of Japanese Business. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 282. ISBN 978-1-4422-5589-0.
- ^ "Group Network | About Us | Morinaga&Co., Ltd". www.morinaga.co.jp. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Introduction of Business Fields | About Us | Morinaga & Co., Ltd". www.morinaga.co.jp. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Corporate Development and History | About Us | Morinaga & Co., Ltd". www.morinaga.co.jp. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ a b "Showa Era | Corporate Development and History | About Us | Morinaga & Co., Ltd". www.morinaga.co.jp. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Dream come chew: Japanese candy fans to get reverse imports of US Hi-Chew flavors". Mainichi Daily News. July 25, 2023. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ a b "How North Carolina became the home of Japan's #1 candy". The Counter. March 28, 2017. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Business Office Guide | About Us | Morinaga&Co., Ltd". www.morinaga.co.jp. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- (in Japanese) Morinaga & Company
- (in English) Morinaga & Company corporate profile
- Morinaga & Company
- Food and drink companies based in Tokyo
- Japanese brands
- Food and drink companies established in 1899
- Japanese companies established in 1899
- Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange
- Japanese brand foods
- Confectionery companies of Japan
- 1940s initial public offerings
- Japanese company stubs